Geisel Library - San Diego, CA
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Metro2
N 32° 52.850 W 117° 14.259
11S E 477769 N 3638101
This 1970 Library looks like a spacecraft landed on the campus of the University of California San Diego.
Waymark Code: WMJB6X
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 10/23/2013
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member silverquill
Views: 6

Wikipedia (visit link) informs us:

"The UC San Diego Library consists of the Geisel Library building and the Biomedical Library building. There are also 3 off-campus locations: The Scripps Archives and Library Annex (available by appointment), the Annex (collections available by request), and the UC Southern Regional Library Facility (collections available by request).


The UC San Diego Library consists of the Geisel Library building and the Biomedical Library building. There are also 3 off-campus locations: The Scripps Archives and Library Annex (available by appointment), the Annex (collections available by request), and the UC Southern Regional Library Facility (collections available by request).

The Geisel Library building contains materials and services related to: Arts, Area Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Marine Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences. It also contains the Mandeville Special Collections & Archives, which houses the Dr. Seuss Collection. The Dr. Seuss Collection contains original drawings, sketches, proofs, notebooks, manuscript drafts, books, audio- and videotapes, photographs, and memorabilia. The approximately 8,500 items in the collection document the full range of Dr. Seuss's creative achievements, beginning in 1919 with his high school activities and ending with his death in 1991.

The Geisel Library building is named in honor of Audrey and Theodor Seuss Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss) for the generous contributions they have made to the library and their devotion to improving literacy. The Geisels were long-time residents of La Jolla, where UC San Diego is located.

The building is featured in the UC San Diego logo and is the most recognizable building on campus. It is located in the center of the campus with Library Walk to its south, Thurgood Marshall College to its West and Earl Warren College to its East.


The library first opened in 1970. It was simply called the Central Library until a renovation was completed in 1993, when it was rededicated as the University Library Building. It was renamed Geisel Library in 1995.

Design

The distinctive original building was designed in the late 1960s by William Pereira to sit at the head of a canyon. William Pereira & Associates prepared a detailed report in 1969. Pereira originally conceived of a steel-framed building, but this was changed to reinforced concrete to save on construction and maintenance costs. This change of material presented an opportunity for a more sculptural design. It was envisioned that future additions to the original building would form terraced levels around the tower base descending into the canyon, the first of which was designed by Gunnar Birkerts and completed in the early 1990s. In keeping with the original master plan, it was "deliberately designed to be subordinated to the strong, geometrical form of the existing library." Within its two subterranean levels are the other library sections as well as study spaces and computer labs. The tower is a prime example of brutalist architecture. It rises 8 stories to a height of 110 ft (33.5 m). The four upper stories of the tower houses collections, individual study space, and group study rooms.

A photo of the building taken by Julius Shulman was used as the cover image for James Steele's chronicle of Pereira's career.

The Nevada Museum of Art is planning an exhibit featuring the work of William L. Pereira. For the exhibit, they commissioned a video shoot from FortyOneTwenty, a San Diego studio. They used a remote controlled helicopter to get unique views of the building. Here is a sneak peek of the video."
Building Address:
UCSD
9500 Gilman Dr
San Diego, CA USA
92093


Is it open to the general public?: yes

When was it built? (Approximate if you must.): 01/01/1970

What is the name of this building?: Geisel Library

Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest Odd-Shaped Buildings
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log User Rating  
bluesnote visited Geisel Library - San Diego, CA 09/30/2021 bluesnote visited it
Raven visited Geisel Library - San Diego, CA 07/21/2016 Raven visited it
KidWrangler visited Geisel Library - San Diego, CA 12/20/2015 KidWrangler visited it
run26.2 visited Geisel Library - San Diego, CA 09/19/2015 run26.2 visited it
NakoTacoPatrol visited Geisel Library - San Diego, CA 04/26/2014 NakoTacoPatrol visited it
Metro2 visited Geisel Library - San Diego, CA 10/06/2013 Metro2 visited it
DopeyDuck visited Geisel Library - San Diego, CA 08/04/2012 DopeyDuck visited it

View all visits/logs